Terry Shintani, MD, JD, MPH, KSJ is an American physician, attorney, nutritionist, author, lecturer, radio show host and community advocate. He is formally designated a "Living Treasure of Hawaii".

Shintani is best known for his whole-person health programs and pioneering the Eat More, Weigh Less Diet and the Shintani Diet programs. His health program won the highest national award from the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services in 1992 and it is featured in the Encyclopedia Britannica.[citation needed] Dr.Shintani's nutrition science works are published in scientific journals such as the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. In the Legal field, he created a landmark law to allow Native Hawaiian practitioners to practice without fear of prosecution. He founded the innovative integrative medicine clinical practice at the Dept of Complementary and Alternative Medicine at the University of Hawaii School of Medicine.

In the field of Medicine, he created the innovative Integrative Medicine program at the Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center and later won the Integrative Medicine Award. He created the "HawaiiDiet" program with Governor Cayetano and received national attention on NBC for that program. In the field of business, he created the Zippy's "Shintani Cuisine" program that has served over 800,000 low-fat no-cholesterol meals and donated 100% of the royalties to promote health in Hawaii.[1]

He has testified for water rights, for taro growers, for the elimination of the landfill, and has helped the field of culture and arts. For the great impact he has had on the health of the community, his many innovative programs, his teaching, writing, research and for his years of service in poverty stricken communities, and to homeless, and Native Hawaiians, Dr. Shintani was formally designated a "Living Treasure of Hawaii" in 2006. In that same year, the Honolulu Advertiser, the largest daily paper in Hawaii saw fit to include Dr. Shintani's work as an important part of Hawaii's 150 year history. His work was noticed internationally and for this and his continued effort to change the way medicine is practiced, he was formally knighted by The Sovereign Order of the Orthodox Knights Hospitaller of St. John of Jerusalem in 2009 under the sanction of the Russian Orthodox Church.

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Significant activities

As of 2009[update], he is the president of the Hawaii Health Foundation and he is the Associate Chair of the department of Complementary and Alternative Medicine at the University of Hawaii School of Medicine. He was the founding director of the Integrative Medicine Center at the Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center.

He has conducted health and nutrition programs for Native Hawaiians his entire career. He has been a physician and the director of preventive medicine at WCCHC where his patients have been predominantly of lower economic status and largely of Native Hawaiian ancestry. He has also conducted over 800 health presentations in the community at large to all imaginable target audiences from elementary school to Medical school and from low income housing projects to Senior groups to the National Institutes of Health.

He has also been a strong advocate for the Waianae Community and for the traditional Hawaiian Healing Arts. Using his legal expertise, he authored Act 304 of 2001, which legalized traditional Hawaiian healing arts. He also went to the legislature over the years to preserve funds for WCCHC’s programs. When the Waianae Coast Culture and Arts Society had their funds cut, he organized a fundraiser and raised $100,000 to keep them financially able to continue their good work.

Significant contributions in the field of expertise

Dr. Terry Shintani has made significant contributions in Medicine, Law, Nutrition, Native Hawaiian Healing Arts, and community health. In Medicine: he was instrumental in creating the Integrative Medicine department at the WCCHC that incorporated healing arts from various healing disciplines including arts such as acupuncture, chiropractic and traditional Hawaiian Healing. In Law, he wrote the historic law that allowed for the legalization of Native Hawaiian Healing Arts.

In Nutrition, he created the Waianae Diet Program and the Hawaii Diet Program that was featured in Newsweek, on CBS This Morning, Dateline NBC and in the Encyclopædia Britannica.

In Native Hawaiian Healing Arts, he helped to create the first Native Hawaiian Healing Department at a community health center. In community health, he started the Hawaii Health Foundation that has conducted hundreds of community health programs, and has promoted health as a radio show host over the past 16 years.

He has also published 10 books with 500,000 books in print. He worked with Zippy’s to create the "Shintani Cuisine" program which has served over 900,000 low fat no-cholesterol meals in Hawaii and donates 100% of the royalties for health promotion in Hawaii.

His numerous awards and honors include:

"Knighthood" 2009, he was formally knighted by the Sovereign Order of the Orthodox Knights Hospitaller of St. John of Jerusalem, the oldest healing order in the Christian world.

"Living Treasure of Hawaii" 2006, he was formally designated a "Living Treasure of Hawaii" for his many contributions to the community in various areas including the fields of medicine, law, traditional healing arts, and cultural preservation.[2]

"Secretary's Award for Excellence" 1993 for health promotion in the community: Awarded by the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services

"Certificate of Recognition and Commendation" from Honolulu City Council, 2000.

"Governor’s Commendation" 1999 Awarded by Governor Benjamin Cayetano.

"Distinguished Alumni Honoree" 1999 Awarded by the University of Hawaii.

"Honorary Member of the Mortar Board" Mortar Board, Hui Pookela Chapter University of Hawaii

Public Service Honoree of the "Loio No Na Kanaka" (Lawyer of the People) 1998.

"Champion of the People" 1997: Awarded by the Waianae Coast Coalition for Human Services

"Certificate of Recognition and Commendation" from Hawaii State Senate1997.1995

"Food Hero" Awarded by "Eating Well" Magazine

"Kaonohi Award" For public service in Hawaiian health 1994: Awarded by the Native Hawaiian Health Organization "Papa Ola Lokahi"

"Community Health Promotion Award" 1992: Awarded by the Hawaii State department of health

"Ten Who Made a Difference": 1991 Awarded by the Honolulu Star Bulletin

"Outstanding non Hawaiian of the Year" 1990: Awarded by the Hawaiian Civic Clubs

"Outstanding Young Men of America" 1986.

"Outstanding First Year Medical Student" 1980: Awarded by the American Medical Students Assn

Innovations and programs

Dr. Terry Shintani journals such as the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. In the Legal field, he created a landmark law to allow Native Hawaiian practitioners to practice without fear of prosecution. He has had inquiries from Alaskan Natives and Canadian First Nations peoples on how this was done. In the field of Medicine, he created the innovative Integrative Medicine program at the Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center and later won the Integrative Medicine Award. He created the "HawaiiDiet" program with Governor Cayetano and received national attention on NBC for that program. In the field of business, he created the Zippy "Shintani Cuisine" program that has served over 800,000 low-fat no-cholesterol meals and donated 100% of the royalties to promote health in Hawaii.